Tea For Two: An Evangelion Short
by Ikarus Onesun
Summary: An simple act of kindness results in an unexpected reward for Shinji Ikari. Written for an r/FanFiction daily shorts challenge. Oneshot.


DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction incorporating characters and situations from the Gainax/Khara manga/anime series _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ and its related feature film releases. Gainax, Khara, and their various media distributors hold sole exclusive rights to their use. The author is in no way affiliated with Gainax, Khara, or their distributors, nor has this story been submitted for any commercial purpose.

_**Tea For Two:**_  
_**An Evangelion Short**_  
by Ikarus Onesun

"Oh... thank you..."

Rei Ayanami regarded her schoolmate and fellow Evangelion pilot, Shinji Ikari, with a look that was equal parts confusion and embarrassment, as he displayed the bag of trash that he had just finished filling.

The First Child had just returned home from a long, tiring day of testing the new Evangelion dummy plug system at NERV Headquarters to find Shinji and his friend, Toji Suzuhara, in her apartment. They had come to drop off her school bulletins, as she had missed classes that day, and Shinji had been so dismayed at the squalid appearance of her dingy living space that he had taken it upon himself to clean it up. Her apartment was now immaculate, and Rei's clumsy words of thanks were the first things she could think to say in response.

Next to Shinji, Toji sat on a backwards-facing swivel chair, regarding her warily. The two had rarely interacted with each other since she had come to First Municipal Junior High, but by now she was well aware of his opinion that all EVA pilots were, in his words, "a bunch of wackos."

Rei ignored the tall jock, and turned back to Shinji, who still held the bag of trash in his hands. She paused as she regarded her fellow pilot pensively, and then, as if she had made an internal decision, she made a hesitant effort to address the boy's generosity.

"Ikari… would you like to… stay for tea?" she queried haltingly.

Her cheeks flushed a faint pink as the barely audible words were out of her mouth before she had even had time to formulate them. The impromptu offer surprised everyone in the room – including herself.

Shinji's own cheeks colored at the invitation, and his eyes dropped to the floor for long moments before he finally peered up at the ruby-eyed girl through his brown forelocks. She seemed to be keenly anticipating his reply.

"Um… sure, Ayanami, I'd – I'd like that," he stammered.

Beside him, Toji frowned as he stood up out of the chair. "Hey… what about _me?_" he grumbled. "Shinji and I came here _together!"_

Rei abruptly turned to the tall boy and regarded him with a flat stare, her features as impassive as marble. Toji suddenly felt like an insect that had been placed under a microscope.

"I understand that it is not your policy to assist with housework," Rei replied, with the barest hint of coldness. "It is also not my policy to offer gratitude to those who have not provided a service in return. You are free to leave, Mr. Suzuhara."

Shinji could only stare incredulously at the First Child as she waited calmly for Toji to respond. Beside himself, Toji tried vainly to summon a blunt retort to Rei, but something about her inscrutable demeanor gave him pause. Without a word, he shuffled over to the door, slipped on his tennis shoes, and offered a slight bow before he departed, closing the door carefully behind him with a soft _click_.

A palpable silence descended on the apartment. Finally, as if sensing Shinji's eyes on her, the blue-haired girl turned and regarded him carefully before offering a slight shrug.

"Major Katsuragi is not the only person who dislikes such attitudes," she murmured.

Shinji's eyebrows shot up at the statement. For someone who was always being called an emotionless doll, Rei seemed almost… _indignant._

"Ayanami… uh, exactly how long were you outside in the hall listening to us?" he ventured, noting that she had not yet entered the apartment when Toji had made the crass remark.

"A little while," she admitted softly.

Without another word, the blue-haired girl made her way to her small kitchen and began to rummage through a cabinet over the sink. After a few moments, she retrieved a small tin box from one of the shelves, regarding it curiously as she scrutinized the label on its side.

"I have tea, but I have never made tea," she declared absently, before glancing up furtively at Shinji through her blue tangle of hair. Her crimson eyes seemed almost incandescent in the dull light of her apartment as, once again, a soft pink flush bloomed across her pale features.

"Would you… show me how?"

Shinji's mind reeled at her quiet request. For the last few months, even after their interactions during Operation Yashima against the Fifth Angel, the blue-haired girl still remained an enigma to him. They had made a connection, a bond, on the slopes of Mt. Futago, but since then, there never seemed to be an opportunity to explore it further, between Angel attacks, sync tests, schoolwork, and the constant intrusions of a certain red-haired German girl into nearly every aspect of his life.

But now, they were alone, and whatever their relationship had been up until this point, Shinji somehow had the feeling that this might _finally_ be the chance at a new beginning with the First Child.

"Um, sure… it's easy," Shinji replied shyly, reaching out a hand for the tin. Rei placed the metal box in his hand, and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of the tiny smile that had appeared in the corners of her delicate mouth.

Mesmerized by her rare display, he paused noticeably for long moments before a faint look of puzzlement eventually crossed her face. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he gathered up his nerve and offered her a small, bashful smile of his own, before joining her in the kitchen to begin what he hoped would be the first of many more cooking lessons to come…

_~ Fin ~_

Author's notes: I recently joined Reddit (u/ikarusonesun), and discovered the daily and monthly shorts challenges on r/FanFiction. I found myself with a little free time on September 11, so I decided to give that day's challenge a shot. The suggested word count for this short was 400, and I, erm, more than doubled that. Some things never change...

Anyway, this is just a fun little vignette that incorporates elements of the manga and Episode 17 of the series, and I thought it turned out well so I decided to post it here. Hope you enjoy!

(And now, back to _Godchild...)_

Please feel free to leave a review, or drop me a line at ikarusonesun-at-gmail-dot-com.

Cheers,  
IO


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